By Ige Ramos
Food has never been solely about what is on the plate.
Those of us who have spent decades navigating the narrow alleys of regional markets and the technical alchemy of traditional kitchens understand that each grain of heirloom Adlai and drop of patis is a vessel of sovereignty.
These ingredients preserve our communities’ memories and identities.
Today, post-Filipino Food Month 2026, the conversation has shifted from simply celebrating flavor to institutionalizing memory.
The founding of a movement
Twelve years ago, in 2014, the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement (PCHM) began as a quiet but urgent conversation among chefs, food writers, historians, and farmers.
Registered as Kilusan ng Katutubong Kulinarya ng Pilipinas in the Securities Exchange Commission, we were united by a singular realization: our culinary heritage was being erased by the homogenization of the global palate.
Led by founder Chef Jam Melchor, we envisioned an organization that would mobilize not just kitchens, but also policymakers and rural producers.
I was then the editor-in-chief of Rustan’s Sans Rival and the vice president of the Culinary Historians of the Philippines when I was invited to the preliminary meeting at the Milky Way restaurant along Pasay Road and met fellow editors Marilen Fontanilla of F&B World; Nana Ozaeta of Food Magazine; Nina Daza-Puyal of Appetite Magazine; Chit Juan of Slow Food Philippines; Alu and Adolf Aran of Dine Philippines; Anton Diaz; RJ Ledesma; Gino Jose; and Jack Flaminiano.
This was the core group of PCHM, and we were still buzzing from Anthony Bourdain’s second visit.
We were all bright-eyed and optimistic. We all volunteered our time, talent, personal funds, and social capital so we could create something that is tangible so that the government can see us.
We launched festivals like Ang Sarap! at Mercato Centrale to disrupt the notion of “local” and began the arduous process of petitioning the government.
We argued that if the state can protect a historical building, it must also protect the knowledge of how a community ferments its fish or sours its broth.
We gathered at the National Museum in 2015 to declare gastronomy a national treasure. We wrote to the director general of the National Museum of the Philippines to see if we could hold the PCHM launch there; fortunately, they agreed.
The core group decided to honor the food advocates who came before us, such as Maria Y. Orosa, a food technologist and war hero; Engracia “Asiang” Cruz-Reyes and Teresita Reyes, the founders of Aristocrat and Mama Sita, respectively; literary giants and food writers Gilda Cordero Fernando and Doreen G. Fernandez; and Nora V. Daza, the first television food personality.
We also honored living cultural treasures, food historians, and food advocates for their contributions to the promotion of Filipino food and cuisine, including Felice Prudente-Sta. Maria, Micky Fenix, Dr. Fernando N. Zialcita, Nancy Reyes-Lumen, and Beth Romualdez, among others. I explained to the group how important this was. We stand on the shoulders of giants. They helped us see the horizon and future of Filipino cuisine.
From proclamation to practice
The turning point came in 2018 with Presidential Proclamation No. 469. By declaring April as Filipino Food Month, we moved culinary heritage from the fringes of “lifestyle” into the heart of national cultural policy. Today, every Local Government Unit (LGU) and school is mandated to celebrate and protect local food traditions.
In 2019, we held the inaugural Filipino Food Month at the Manila Hotel, with an unprecedented number of participants and purveyors.
Throughout the pandemic, we maintained the program with a variety of online educational seminars. We connected farmers, food activists, and community pantries via our networks and the networks of our friends. We worked together and shared information regardless of political affiliation, and the most important thing is that no one was left behind.
Since then, PCHM has hosted KAINCON at various universities and colleges across the country. The primary goal of KAINKON is to encourage graduate and undergraduate students to submit academic papers and research on Filipino gastronomy, ranging from studies on street food to complex rice rituals.
Dr. Harold Bernardo Bueno, dean of the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management at Far Eastern University (FEU) Manila; Leo Vergara of Le Cordon Bleu Ateneo de Manila University; and Dr. Kathleen G. Apilado, dean of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Jose Rizal University, actively participate in this event and took over the organization’s leadership.
For more than a decade of hard work demonstrated by the volunteers of PCHM, Filipino Food Month is no longer a symbolic gesture; it is now a national celebration. Any government institution and private sector can create their own Filipino Food Month celebration according to what their community needs.
In 2026, under the theme “Connected by Taste: Filipino Food in the Flavors of ASEAN,” we are witnessing a maturing of our culinary diplomacy. From the national launch in Iloilo City — our UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy — to the diplomatic tables of Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur, we are positioning the Filipino table as a site of soft power.
Our cuisine is now recognized as a vital node in Southeast Asian culture, highlighting shared traditions like Satti and Indonesian Sate and our common use of fermented pastes and coconut milk.
The 2026 agenda: Mapping and mandates
What does the PCHM look like now? KAINCON (Kain Conference) was held at the Bataan Peninsula State University last April 23, where students gathered to map out the future of food with mentors Ruston Banal, Chit Juan, Dr. Lailie Uy-Sicdawag, and Tracey Santiago.
The current agenda is twofold. The first is culinary mapping: systematically documenting “endangered” regional recipes, ranging from complex Moro traditions in Marawi to Balikutsa in Ilocos Sur.
And secondly, the Philippine Culinary Heritage Act: Senator Loren Legarda is championing Senate Bill No. 822, which we hope will be passed. This law seeks to establish a permanent committee on Philippine gastronomy within the NCCA. It would require all local governments to protect their local foodways, making funding a matter of law rather than luck.
The honest table
I have always argued that “everything you think you know about Filipino food is wrong.” We are not “exotic,” and our food isn’t just about history — it’s about the lived, breathing present. We don’t need “fusion” to earn a place on the world stage. As the 2026 Michelin Guide for Manila and Cebu has shown, the world is finally developing a palate for our authenticity.
However, our true legacy isn’t in stars or accolades. It is found in the resilience of the farmer in Sultan Kudarat and the fisherfolk in Pangasinan. It is in the advocacy for heirloom ingredients like Kalinga rice and local cacao from Bago, Negros Occidental, which supports rural livelihoods and preserves biodiversity.
Through the PCHM, we have inspired open minds and bridged the gap between rural producers and urban consumers.
Through global recognition, such as the UNESCO inscription of Bohol’s Asin Tibuok salt, we have proven that traditional methods can thrive in a modern context.
We are ensuring that when we sit down at the table, we aren’t just consuming calories. We are consuming our identity, protected by policy and seasoned by time.